1980 New South Wales local elections
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The 1980 New South Wales local elections were held on 20 September 1980 to elect the councils of the local government areas (LGAs) of New South Wales, Australia.[1][2][3]
Elections for 17 newly-formed councils were delayed and held on 6 December 1980, following amalgamations that affected a total of 39 LGAs.[4][5][6] The new councils began officially operating on 1 January 1981.[7][8][9][10]
Elections date
The date of the 1980 elections clashed with Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism, which began on 19 September and ended on 20 September.[11][12] The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies sought to have the elections rescheduled, but these attempts were unsuccessful, with the Local Government Act stating that local elections must be held on the third Saturday in September.[13][14]
Harry Jensen, the minister for local government, said he was unable to reschedule the elections, which had been held in September since 1962.[15] Jensen was criticised by Liberal MP Rosemary Foot, who noted that legislation stated that "if [the election date] appears to the minister to be impracticable or inconvenient [...] he may appoint a subsequent day not being more than one month thereafter".[16][17]
Special provisions were given to many Jewish voters, who voted earlier than 20 September and via post.[18] At least eight Jewish candidates were elected to councils across New South Wales.[18]
Electoral system
Like at state elections, New South Wales local elections use optional preferential voting.[19] The majority of mayors are elected by councillors at council meetings, although some are directly-elected.[20] The mayoralty was directly-elected in Queanbeyan for the first time in 1980.[21][22]
Voting was compulsory for anyone on the New South Wales state electoral roll.[23]
Candidates
The Labor Party continued to endorse candidates across a number of LGAs.[24][25] Liberal Party leader John Mason criticised his party's decision to endorse candidates in Campbelltown and Sutherland.[26]
The Communist Party of Australia endorsed candidates in a number of councils, including Leichhardt, Newcastle, Parramatta and Sydney.[27][28]
